Glenwood man killed in collision in Montgomery CountyMT. IDA — A Glenwood man was killed when the car he was driving collided with a Mack truck on Highway 70 in Montgomery County. Arkansas State Police say 30-year-old Michael Bradshaw was dead at the scene of the crash on Friday. A state police report says Bradshaw was westbound when the car he was driving crossed the centerline of the highway and struck the trailer of the eastbound truck. The driver of the truck was hospitalized in undisclosed ...

Report: Chemical treatment reduces groundwater contaminationFORT SMITH — A report shows that treatment of a chemical contamination beneath a shuttered Whirlpool plant in western Arkansas has reduced the amount of the chemical in the groundwater by as much as 91 percent. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (http://bit.ly/1JogJ9O ) reports that the Michigan-based company released the report Monday over the trichloroethylene contamination under the plant in Fort Smith. Trichloroethylene, which can cause cancer,...

Baxter sheriff says woman drowns in Norfork LakeNORFORK, Ark. — Baxter County officials say it appears a Mountain Home woman drowned in Norfork Lake. According to Sheriff John Montgomery, deputies and emergency crews were called Monday evening to a spot near a boat launch at Cranfield Park. They recovered 35-year-old Cassandra Lynn Gordon from the water but were unable to revive her. Investigators said Tuesday the woman had been swimming with friends. The sheriff's office said she was seen ...

State lawmakers OK plan to fund more prison bedsLITTLE ROCK — Arkansas lawmakers have given initial approval to Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s proposal to tap an additional $7.4 million from Arkansas reserve funds to open 200 more prison beds. A subcommittee of the Arkansas Legislative Council approved using the money Tuesday to open the beds at a Pine Bluff prison by July 1, 2016. The new beds are part of an effort to ease overcrowding of state inmates at county jails. The funding request is in add...

Officials: Kansas man drowns in Buffalo RiverMARSHALL — Officials say a Kansas man has drowned in the Buffalo National River. The National Park Service said 25-year-old Ravi Teja Reddy Yemalla of Overland Park, Kansas, died Sunday afternoon. Yemalla disappeared after falling into a deep underwater hole upstream from the U.S. 65 bridge. The service said people traveling with Yemalia and other floaters nearby found him after about 10 minutes of searching. Buffalo National River rangers and...

Prosecutors withdraw theft charges against ex-court clerkHOT SPRINGS — Prosecutors have withdrawn felony theft charges against a former Garland County District Court clerk accused of embezzling more than $40,000. Garland County Prosecuting Attorney Terri Harris told the Sentinel-Record (http://bit.ly/1TRk3Pq ) on Monday that they could refile the charges against Donna Linda Schleeter, but that she likely would be acquitted at trial with their current evidence. "Some new information came to light tha...

Pay raises, store spruce-ups crimp Wal-Mart’s profitNEW YORK — Wal-Mart’s second-quarter earnings report was a mixed bag: Its investments to overhaul its stores are helping to perk up sales, but they’re causing more pain to the bottom line than expected. The world’s largest retailer cut its annual earnings outlook Tuesday because its profits are being squeezed by pay raises for workers and efforts to make its stores cleaner and friendlier and speed up service. It also reported a 15.1 percent dr...

Charter school reveals plans for new high schoolLITTLE ROCK — A public charter school has announced plans to build a new high school on the campus of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Officials say eStem Public Charter Schools will construct a building for grades 9 and 10 and lease a building for grades 11 and 12 on the university’s campus in Little Rock. The plan was approved Monday by a University of Arkansas System Board of Trustees committee but still needs state approval. The ...

Police searching for Hot Springs duo who stole alligators LITTLE ROCK — Jamie Bridges said Monday he is worried that two thieves who stole a dozen baby alligators from his family's Hot Springs tourist attraction won't know how to properly care for them. Two people broke into the Arkansas Alligator Farm and Petting Zoo early Saturday morning wearing masks and gloves and stole the 12 babies as well as a 7-year-old alligator. "Those little ones won't make it if they don't care for them the right way," B...

11 arrested after deputies discover cockfightingMABELVALE — Eleven people face animal fighting charges after Saline County authorities say an anonymous tip led them to find a cockfighting event. The county sheriff’s office says deputies responded Sunday to a wooded area behind a Mabelvale residence, where they found between 30 and 35 people near what appeared to be a cockfighting pit. Several people ran away, but 11 were arrested and charged with felony unlawful animal fighting charges. The...

New C-130H mission changes Air National Guard wingLITTLE ROCK — An Arkansas Air National Guard official said a new mission to train more crew members on the C-130H aircraft has “completely changed” how the 189th Airlift Wing operates. The 189th wing has trained instructors on the plane designed to airdrop troops and equipment into hostile areas since 1986, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported. The U.S. Air Force added to the unit’s responsibilities in 2013, tasking it with training all C-13...

Sides agree on lawyer fees in hog farm caseLITTLE ROCK — Two federal agencies have agreed with attorneys for environmental groups on a proposed settlement for attorney fees in a lawsuit over a hog farm near the Buffalo National River. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported Saturday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency and the U.S. Small Business Administration have agreed to pay $250,000 to attorneys with Earthjustice, Earthrise Law Center and Little Rock-based...

AHECB approves new degree for Arkansas Tech-OzarkOZARK — The Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board has granted approval to Arkansas Tech University-Ozark Campus to offer an Associate of Applied Science in Logistics Management beginning in the fall. The Arkansas Tech University Board of Trustees previously granted approval of the program in May. Successful graduates of the logistics management program will be prepared to analyze and coordinate an organization’s supply chain, which incl...

Main Street event set for Sept. 14-16LITTLE ROCK — Main Street Arkansas, the Mississippi Main Street Association and the Louisiana Main Street program will sponsor Destination Downtown 2015 in Little Rock Sept. 14-16, Main Street Arkansas Director Greg Phillips announced Wednesday. Main Street Arkansas is a program area of the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program. Destination Downtown is a regional conference for those interested in preservation-based commercial district revita...

Destination Downtown conference to be held in LRLITTLE ROCK — Main Street Arkansas, the Mississippi Main Street Association and the Louisiana Main Street program will sponsor Destination Downtown 2015 in Little Rock Sept. 14-16, Main Street Arkansas Director Greg Phillips announced Wednesday. Main Street Arkansas is a program area of the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program. Destination Downtown is a regional conference for those interested in preservation-based commercial district revita...

U of O closes admissions for fall semesterCLARKSVILLE — Bolstered by the largest incoming new student class in 12 years and a retention rate approaching 80 percent, University of the Ozarks officials announced Wednesday that they have closed admission for the Fall 2015 semester. Ozarks is expecting 270 first-time students to begin classes on Aug. 25, the largest incoming class since 279 in 2003. Total enrollment of new and returning students is expected to be 650, which would be the u...

State says judge’s suit over age rule should be thrown outLITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas attorney general’s office contends that a Union County circuit judge has no grounds to sue over judicial retirement statutes and says his lawsuit should be thrown out. Under a 50-year-old law, state judges who are elected to office at age 70 or older lose the state retirement benefits they accrued while on the bench. Judge Michael Landers, who just turned 69, sued the Arkansas Judicial Retirement System last month, c...

West Arkansas US attorney resignsLITTLE ROCK — The federal prosecutor for western Arkansas said Tuesday he’s stepping down later this month — a move that comes amid speculation he’s considering a challenge to Republican U.S. Sen. John Boozman next year. Conner Eldridge, the U.S. attorney for the western district of Arkansas, told The Associated Press he’s leaving office on Aug. 21. Eldridge, 37, was appointed to the post in 2010. Eldridge has been viewed as a potential Democr...

Ozarka College receives FAA approval for pilot programMELBOURNE— Ozarka College has received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration for its professional pilot program. The school announced the approval Monday and says the program will begin with the first class of student pilots this fall. Before getting FAA approval, the school received approval in July from the U.S. Department of Education Federal Student Aid division to allow students within the degree to apply for federal financial...

City council in Benton approves 0.4 mill tax cut in 2017BENTON — Benton property owners are getting a tax cut in 2017. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that the City Council passed a 0.4-mill decrease in the city’s personal and real property millage rates Monday. The reduction will appear on tax bills in 2017. A county assesses property at 20 percent of its appraised value. A mill is one tenth of a cent, with each mill producing $1 in revenue for every $1,000 of valuation. For a homeowner with...